Land for new industry on County Commission agenda today

For the second time this year, the airport industrial park soon could be welcoming a new company that would bring jobs to Jackson and Madison County.

The possible sale of 134.32 acres at the industrial park to a company that has yet to be named is the most pressing issue that is set to be brought up at tonight's Madison County Commission meeting.

"They're going to build somewhere around 1.1 million square feet of distribution space; there will be 100 employees (initially)," Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris said at Thursday night's agenda review meeting. "We really do feel like there would be other benefits to this that we really can't talk about that could potentially help us in other areas industrially here in our community."

The company wants to purchase the property as soon as September, said Harris, who wasn't able to name the company due to a confidentiality agreement between the county and the company.

The only snag for the sale of land could be a pre-existing company, Bodine Aluminum Inc.

According to Harris, when Bodine built its facility in Jackson, company officials were concerned about residential property moving too close to their facility. When Madison County sold Bodine the property, the deal included a first right of refusal, which gives Bodine the option to purchase the 134.32 acres next to its facilities before the land is offered to any other buyer, private or corporate.

If the County Commission gives Harris permission tonight, he can notify Bodine of its option to purchase the land, valued at $12,000 per acre for a total of $1,611,840. Bodine then would have 30 days to decide whether or not to purchase the land from the county.

Harris doesn't think Bodine would want the land, meaning the county would be clear to sell it to the company wanting to move in.

"All indications that we've gotten is that they have no use for this property," Harris said. "They have property out there that would allow them to just about quadruple what they're doing right now on the property that exists.

"What we're trying to do is to get this in the hopper to get that time running because this company is on a very fast track," he said.

Raises and bonuses

The County Commission also will vote on a hotly debated resolution that would give one-time bonuses to all current county employees, except for those in the Jackson-Madison County School System, of $750 for full-time workers and $250 for part-time workers. The commission tabled the vote at July's meeting.

Regardless of whether or not the bonuses get approved, the commission also will vote on giving raises to 42 county employees who have slipped underneath the pay scale that the county implemented four years ago.

The county adopted a step process for raises in an effort to make sure workers at similar jobs in different departments are paid relatively the same amount. While some employees have been getting half- and full-step raises since the process was put into place, the 42 employees receiving the raises are not even on a step.

The raises exclude the school system and sheriff's department, according to County Commissioner Ann Harrell, who represents District 10 and serves as chairman of the budget committee.

To get the 42 employees on a step will cost the county $139,000 for the raises and an additional $38,000 for benefits for employees.

Doug Stephenson

The County Commission also will be voting on whether to accept the resignation of Commissioner Doug Stephenson, who represents District 2. Stephenson accepted a position at the Madison County Health Department earlier this summer.

Stephenson was required to resign his position on the commission so there would be no possible conflict of interest with his new job, as county commissioners cannot accept county positions.

However, Stephenson's name was already on the ballot in the August county election, and he was re-elected.

"His resignation will be voted on tomorrow night," Harris said Sunday. "Once that's voted on and accepted, he's off the commission. He's no longer on the commission, so he no longer has a vote."

But if Stephenson's resignation is accepted, since he was re-elected, he'll be able to take office again Sept. 1 with the other new commissioners, Harris said.

Harris wasn't sure Sunday if Stephenson would resign again in September. If he does resign again, the commission will nominate someone to take his position instead of letting it go to a vote in the November ballot, due to there being such a short time period between votes, County Commission Chairman Mark Johnstone said Sunday.